Brace-waist.



E. M. CLEWELL.

BRACE WAIST, IAPPLICATION FILED AU G.2l. 1912 Patented July 31', 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. M. CLEWELL.

BRACE WAIST,

APPLICATION HkED AUG.2I.1912- Patented J 1113' 31, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

masses.

EVA M. oLnWnLL,

rinses-WAIST.

n Arne arr o Specificationcf Letters Patent.

0F CANTON, I OHIO.

Patented July 31, 1917.

P Application filed August 21, 1912. Serial No. 7l6,118.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, EVA M. Cracwmiri, a citizen of the United States. residing at Canton; in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Brace-Trust, of which the following is a specification. I

-The invention relates to a brace and a waist, combined together, for supporting the breasts and the abdomen and also the skirts and the stockings of a person, and for carrying the weight thereof from the shoulders and bracing the back of the person; and the objectof the improvement is to provide a combined garment which will sustain and support the human form in its natural contourwithout the use of a constricting waist belt,' or an unyielding corset; and at the same time will develop the chest and induce deep breathing by holding the shoulders back ward in normal position,

The ob'eot of the invention thus set forth l n in general terms, is attained by the preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in the ac coinpanying drawings, forming a part there of, in which- I v "Figure his a front Vl6W lI1. outline of a womans form showing the waist-front and ebdoinhurl-support thereon;

Fig. 2 esirniler rear View showing the lower portion ofthe waist-back broken away andexposing the back-brace and the rear portions of the waist-front and the abdomina'l support;

Fig. 3, a similar side view, showing the brace-back, thewaist-front and the abdominal support, without the waist-back;

Fig. he planview: of the l1l3(lOlIlllllll-Sli}% port, a p

Fig. 5, an inside view of the bmrlrlnace;

Fig.6, a riew like Fig. 3 with the lower portion fof th?v waist-front broken away to expose the abdominahsupport;

Fig. 7, a similar view showing the use of the abdominal support with the waist-front and waist-back formed integral, without the use of a back-brace; and a V Fig. 8, a similar view showing the baclo brace combined with Er-modified form of abdominahsupport, without either the waistfront or the waist-hack.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

'llhe baclr-braoe is made of two lateral sec- 4 tions l having their adjacent edges joined together in the median line by the series or lace strings 2; each string' of the series being laced through corresponding eyelets b alon the median line edges oftlre back-brace sec? tlons and the several strings being extended thence diagonally downward across the median line and through one of' the series of guide-eyelets ltransrersely located along the lower edge in each bracesection 1 -whence the strings on each side converge to and are combined with the brace-straps 5. as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings.

Each lateral section 1 of the back-brace is extended upward to form the shoulder strap 6, which strap extends forward over the shoulder 7 of the person, and thence downward in front of the shoulder and rearward under the arm pit where it is connected to the side edge of the brace-section by means ends of the shoulder strap 6, andhaving its upper end secured to the side edge of the bracesection 1, under the arm pit and its lower end adjustably connected as by buckle 10, to'the side edge of, the brace section, ator adjacent to the lower end thereof.

The lower end edges of the back-brace sections, are preferably inclined downward'and iii ward from the side edges to form the pendant points 11, at the median line edges thereof; to which points the waistband of a petticoa-t or a skirt can be pinned or otherwise secured, and the weight of the same will be carried from the shoulders by the backbrace. a

The abdominal-support 12, is made inthe form of a wide band extending transversely aunts and under the abdomen 13 of the person, the. ends of the baud being preferably bifurcated to form the upper and lower lateral tongues 1st and 15, extending around the sides of the abdomen, which tongues are provided withct'he buckles 14; and eyelets 153 and are adjustably laced together b means of the strings 16. i

The buckles 14. of the upper tongue 14 of the abdominal-support 12, are engaged with the brace-straps 5 on the ends of the laec-strii'igs 2 of the brace-back, and the parts are so proportioned, arranged and adjusted that each side of th abdominal-support will. be sustained by the shoulder strap 6 extending over the opposite shoulder of the person and that the lace strings of the back-brace will. draw the lateral sections BEST AVAILABLE com thereof to 'ard each other, thereby holding the shoulders of the person backward by action of the shoulder straps (3, extending around the front of the shoulders 7. The waist-front 17 or 17, is preferably made integral with or permanently secured to the waist-back 18 or 18, as shown in Fig. 7 but may be separable therefrom, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 6, so that the waist-back need not be worn at all times with the other parts. lVhen the waist-front and waistback are made inseparable, the shoulder straps 19 thereof, extend over the shoulders of the person as shown in Fig. 7 but when tho e parts are made separable, the shoulder straps 1 of the waist-front are secured to the shoulder strap 6 of the back-brace, as by the buttons 20 on top of the shoulder, a d the shoulder straps 19 of the waistoack may be connected to the stray; of the waist-front by means of the same buttons.

The waistlront 17 or 17" extends downward from the slmulder straps with its side edges overlapp ng and preferably connected to the shoulder straps (i of the baclo brace, as by the buttons 20" as shown in Fig. 1. and the side edges of the waist-trout are furthermore provided with the waiststrings ll located at or just above the waistlino. ot the person which strings extend downward across each other at the iddle of the back, and are respectively engaged with the lower tongues 15 on the opposite side of the :lllflOIIllfilll-SllplllOltlas by being passed through the eyelets 15 and then brought together and tied in the middle of the back. as shown in Fig. 2. I

It is evident that the waist-l ilont and the stiings thereof serve to stretch and sustain the abdominalsupport, and particularly the abdomen, for sustaining the same: and it evident that the weight thereof will be carried by the waist strings 21, around the small of the back and thence upward and across th waist-front by the shoulder straps 19 and 19 and 19" thereof to the opposite shoulder of the person; and alsothal: the ci'insequent' stretching of the, "w: front across the breasts serves to sustain the same, and also cooperates with the brace-back in throwing the shoulders bllt'ltward into proper position.

The lower Front portion it? of the waisttront. is preferably extended downward over the abdtuninahsupport 12, and to the lower edge thereof is preferably secured the series of stocking supporting straps 22. The lower end portionl'l' ot the waistt'ront is furthermore adjustably connected with the abdomiHal-support by means of the strings 9 3 laced through the series of cyst is l t in the waist-front and 24 in'the abdoniinalsup ioit, it is manifestly not as r'".&l*7i:ll or rflesirablc in all cases, to make the abdominalsupport separate from the waistfrom, but it is sometimes preferred to lace these parts together, as described and shown herein, so as to permit an adjustment of the parts with reference to eachother.

The waistbacl; 18 or 18 is formed with its side edges extending downward under the arm pits, to a connection with the waist-trout. as bv the buttons 20", whence the side edges extend downward to the lower end of the waist-back located at or just above the waist-line ot the person; and from the lower corners of the Waist-back are extended the waist-stra n 25, which are preferably engaged with the buckles 11 on' the ends of the upper tongues 14 of the. abdominal support, as shown in Fig. 7.

From the foregoing description it is apparentthat various combinations can be made among the several detachable parts, as for instance the abdominal support 12 can be worn with the waist-front and the back-brace. without the waistback, as shown in l igs. 3 and (5; or all these parts can be worn together IS shown in Fig. 2; or the abdoniimil-support "an be worn with the waist-trout and waist-back, without the l arlt-lu-iu'e. as shown in Fig. 7; and finally, that the baclobrace can be wornmwith the inm'lilied form of abdominal-support 12 shown in Fig. 8. withouteither the waist trout or the waist-back, for supporting suit-kings by the straps 22" when a positive support for the abdomen is not necessary, as in the case of undeveloped women.

it will be umlorstohd that when the waistlnll'li is substituted for the back-brace, as shown in Fig. 7, it cooperates with the waist-front in sustaining the abdominalsupport just like the baclobrace, excepting 105 only that the automatically adjusting laceslring's are omitted: so that the back-brace is in tact an adjustable waist-bacln and may bibroadlai referred to merely as a waistlm 'lt when the adjustable feature is not in- 110 wired. and the l'n'aee-straps of the backbraee may be broadly referred to as waiststraps; Furthermore, it will be understood that the \\'aisl'-t'i-out, the abdominal-support and the lnu-lolirace are preferably provided 115 with some kind of boning or other similar staring.malerial, in the usual. manner for sl ayin{ these parts in proper position.

1. An adjustable back-brace composed of 120 two lateral sections with shoulder-straps thereon. lace-eyelets along the adjacent edges and guide-eyelets along the lower edges of the sections, lace-strings in corresponding hire-eyelets and extending fro'm the eyelets 12." of one -section diagonally downward through the guide-eyelets of the other section, and ,tst'raps extending from the combined lure-strings of each section; a waistfronty havingrshoulder-straps on its upper end con- 130 neeted to the shoulder-st aps of the hackhraee and having waist-strings on each side; and a transverse ahdoniinal-support connet-ted to the Waist-front, and harirw one set of lat ral tongues engaged with the waiststraps on the same side and another set of lateral tongues engaged with the waiststrings of the opposite side.

2. An adjustable back-brace composed of two lateral sections with shoulder-straps thereon, iace-eyeletsalong the edges and guide-eyelets alon the lower edges of the sevtions. lae strings in corresponding lave eyelets and extending from the lace-eyelets of one section diagonally downward through the guide-eyelets of the other section. and waisbstraps extending from the. combined laee-strings 0" each section; and an abdominal support having lateral tongues engaged with the waist-straps on the same side.

A waist-fr0nt and. a Waist-hack having connecting shoulder-straps on the upper ends, there being waist-strings on each side of the Waist-front and Waist-straps on the lower corners of the waist-back, and an abdominal support having one set of lateral tongues engaged with the waist-straps of the same side and anotherset of lateral tongues .-site side.

ii. A. liz'iek-hraeo having shordder-straps on its upper end, adjusting means for the 'hraee. waist straps at each side of the lower end of the brace associated with the adjusting uieans and an abdominal support having lateral tongues engaged with the waiststraps on the same side.

(3. An abdominal support having two tongues 011 each side, and a waist having straps on each side of its hack portion engaged with one set of tongues on the same side, and strings on each side of the front portion extended across the small of the hack engaged with the other set of tongues on the opposite side.

EVA M. GLEVVELL.

Witnesses ELFRIEDE Sonar urr. Iunar A. H. 'licuanLL. 

